Railroad-track holding and bracing device



April 1931- w. c. SCHMITT 1,800,322 I RAILROAD TRACK HOLDING AND BRACINGDEVICE Original Filed May 20, 192.9

Fatentecl Apr. 14, 1931 1 1 UNITED STATES WILLIAM C. 'SGHMITT, OFI'QRTLAND OREGON RAILROAD-TRACK HOLDING AND BnAoINe DEVICE.

Application filed May 20, 1929. Seria1 m5. 364,598.

My invention relates, generally, to appliances used for holding therails of a railroad track in true relative positions, and againstdistortion that frequently occurs under the 5 normal loads of trafiic.And my invention has for its object the providing of efficient means.

Referring now to my purpose in providing efficient means for holding therails in true relative position: To anyone versed in the technique ofrailroad track maintenance, it is well known that stresses develop inthe track through the action of traflic, and the forces of nature, andare constantly acting 5 as agents to distort the true alinement of therails. These stresses must be efficiently resisted, otherwise the trackbecomes unsafe.

The effect of these stresses on the railroad track is evidenced by thetipping of the rails on the ties, loosening of spikes, spreading of therails beyond theproper gauge, creeping of the track, and otherdistortions which constantly menace safety.

Prior to my invention, various types of track braces had been used forbracing the track against the distortions referred to above. In mostcases, such braces comprise rods that extend between the rails, combinedwith rail-holding devices called rail-dogs, adjustably secured to therods and engaged with the rail so as to secure the latter against theirsaid relative movement.

The main object of my invention is to provide an improved form ofrail-brace, which will have superior advantage over the ones used priorto my invention. I

The details of my invention are fully hereinafter described withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

40 Fig. 1 shows a transverse vertical cross section through a railroadtrack, showing my improved track brace as used in connection therewith;

Fig. 2 shows a fragmentary horizontal sec- 4,; tion on the line 22 ofFig. 1, illustrating more in detail theconstruction of my rail brace andits use; o v a Fig. 3 shows a detail of a blank for making one of myrail braces as itappears before bent to finishedchannel form; and

Fig. 4 shows a left-end elevation of the parts illustrated in Fig. 1- toindicate the proper location of my track bracev with respect to the tie.

In the said drawings a represents a railroad tie,'b, b,are'the railsrestingthereon and spiked in position by track spikes 0 as seen in Fig.4:. Track ballast is represented by d in the latter figure. The rails b,b, are of the usual standard form known as T-rails, the base flanges ofsame being indicated by e. I I A steel rod fextends between and underthe rails b and is threaded for a considerable length on each end, asshown by g. The rail braces it, hare each made of a piece of steelplate, blanked outapproximatelyto the flat shape shown by Fig. 3.Therail braces have a centrally located hole 71 cut out to receive theends of the rod 7, and beveledslots j are provided in the ends. It is tobe noted that 70 the top of the hole 71 and the bottoms of the slots jare in approximate alinement, which arrangement is necessary for my railbrace to function as purposed.

The flat blank h is then bent perpendicular ontransverse parallel spacedlines k as. illustrated by Fig. 3, into channel shape of which the endsections Z, Z containing the slots j will form the legs at the sides,the center web Q or section t having-the hole i as shown in Fig. 2. 1

Itis to be noted that the slots j of the legs Z,'Z, are of substantialdepth and are shaped to correspond with the angles which the upper andlower faces of the base flanges e, e V of the rail on which they are tobe used, make with each other; and when the rail brace has been formedto, its finished shape, the slots 7' will be in parallelalinement witheach other, '90

and adapted to engage effectively the opposite sides of the base of therail, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

When in this position the rod f may be passed through the holes z of thecentral sections t of the rail braces of the companion rail sections andthe rail braces are then locked in properly adjusted position by thenuts m and 1t threaded on the opposite ends of the rod 7. For thepurpose of providing good clearance, the corners of the rail braces arerelieved or-cut away as shown atp;

The advantages of my rail brace may be summarized as follows: a

The channel shape of my rail braces is structurally one of greatstrength." The slots j in the legs Z give the braces a double grip,

the rail.

WILLIAM SCHMITT.

that is, on both sides of the base of the rail,

and prevent the device tromnbeing moved lengthways on the rail. Thecutting of the said sl otsto conform with the bevels of the rail base,assures that my braces may be tap-pedinto a good engaging position withthe bases of the rails, and the large area of contact which the legs 5,1of my braces thus have with the rail bases renders my braces practicallyimmovable on the rail. Furthermore, the said bevel'slots y, j adapt myrail braces to be used on rails of different sections. The broad, fiatsurface of the legs Z, Z of the rail braces, one of whichis caused tobear against the adjacent side face of the tie, distributes its pressureover a large area, and prevents mutilation of the tie, which frequentlyhappens when cast dogs are used.

This is very important, asfrequently the ties in the track on which mydevice is used are rotten, or otherwise in poorcondition, and aresusceptible to being easily mutilated. Further, the proper positioningofthe hole- '5 of the middle section of my rail braces with respect to theslots 7' will permit the positioning of the rod very close to theunderside of the base of the rail, and thusprovide in the rod asubstantial bearing for the rails whereby the tipping of the latteroutwardly is efficiently resisted.

Lastly, the economy in manufacturing effected by my rail braces is verygreat, since as all'castings are eliminated; at the same onthe baseflanges'of a rail, the middle web being provided with a hole below theplane of said slots to receive a tie rod, themiddle webs of the platesserving to hold the rod firmly in place so as to hold theplatesfirmly onthe base flanges of the ra i1.

e 2 In a rail brace, the combination of an.-

a time maximum strength andefficiency are se-

